Happy Birthday
by Prinnyramza
Summary: Marco doesn't feel like chasing Heckapoo today. [Copied from AO3. Originally published 2017-02-09]


He ran after her in the woods. He had spotted her once again. Her yellow dress clashed with the green setting of the forest; a forest that someone could confuse for one back on earth. A rare location compared to what the boy was used to. He stopped suddenly as he lost sight of her.

Turning one and twice when he thought he heard her move around behind him. "Hekapoo. Are you out here?"

He bent his back as he shouted, cupping his mouth as a mock megaphone. "I won't blow your flame, I promise."

There was no response. Not that he could hear. He could hear the wind blowing through the forest and the water flowing through the stream but the woman's voice wasn't there to mix with the ambient sounds. "Hekapoo."

He lowered his arms and stepped back, slumping down against a tree. He covered his face in his palms and breathed deeply before reeling his head back, "Hekapoo."

"What?" her voice shot out from in front of him.

Marco gasped in a manner that he would insure to anyone was completely masculine. As he grasped a low hanging branch, preparing it as support in case he had to spring up and avoid any perceived danger. Instead what he saw was a girl who he could guess was his age at least at the moment. "You were shouting me down you big dork. I'm here, now what?"

She was on her feet, looking down at him. Her arms were crossed. Her annoyed expression lasted long enough for him to see it before shifting to an amused one. "Don't tell me. You're not giving up already."

"No" he thought he would be more insulted that she suggested such a thing but it was an understandable question.

Marco patted the ground next to him, in the shade of the tree. His words were a bit shaky but they came out all the same "Could you sit next to me for a bit?"

"This some sort of trick?" she tilted her head back and to the side.

He shook his head "If it was couldn't you just make another clone or something?"

Her eye looked up for a moment. She nodded and then stared at him as she adjusted her dress and landed down onto the side of her hip. Her toes pointed away from him and her torso towards him.

Marco smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He looked at his own feet. He passed his soles together and grabbed them. "Today's my birthday."

Hekapoo moved her neck back and just looked at him "How do you know that? I haven't seen you with any calendar. At least not any you could read. You freaking illiterate."

She stuck her tongue out. In a way that Marco couldn't find immature. She teased him because she was in control. She always was.

"I just know." He assured "and I guess the thing is. That I do miss my parents." His head drooped "I miss my friends."

"And your girlfriend right?" She added.

"Huh?" His head snapped back to her. She stared at him just for a moment and rolled her eyes.

"You told me about her not too long ago. You can't be that forgetful. It was practically yesterday." she nudged his shoulder with her own. "Her name is Ja-" she trailed off.

"Ja-" he mimicked.

"Jac-" and she continued to hint.

"Jac-"

"Jacki-" she glared at him, wondering how a human could be so forgetful.

"Jackie Lynn" He stared forward. "I never told her where I went. We only started dating."

"To be fair." She gave him a smug look. "You thought this whole thing would be easy. You weren't exactly planning on chasing after me for the rest of your life."

Diaz gave her a chuckle, "Probably neither did you."

"Oh no. When I said it could take a life time, I knew what I meant." She shook her head and paused. "At least one of your life times. One of mine would be impossible for you. I do play fair."

"How does anyone ever earn scissors? I've seen a few out there before we started this whole thing."

She thought for a moment her finger to her cheek "Well it does depend. An epic quest for some. An unforeseeable price for others. Most people just inherit one or find them in some dungeon. I don't know. It's not like I track every scissor I made."

She stuck out her hand and a flame shot out. It folded onto itself over and over until it looked like molten steel which harden to a familiar pair of scissors. Ones which had an inscription that glowed on one of its blades, Hekapoo

"I wouln't have bother with his pair if it wasn't mine. Thank you for abusing it."

Her smile was like the cat that caught the canary. She twisted the scissors in her hands. "Some earn their scissors this same way. It's one of my favorites and I haven't done it in a while."

"In a while. Like how long?

She shrugged "'A while' a while. As in a long time. I'm an immortal. If I think it's been a long time then you don't want to know."

She blew a hair from her face before hunching forward allowing her chin to rest in her palm "I mean if you want to compare..." she looked at him "there are people that I've haven't seen in a while too."

"As in 'a while' a while?" He reaffirmed.

She nodded.

He offered, "Well why don't you see them? I mean it's not like you're not the one who needs dimensional scissors."

She glared at the air before her and gritted her teeth "Because then I'll have to light someone on fire."

Marco scooted away just a bit.

"People are a bit better in your memories then face to face." her legs moved from her sides to her chest and she curled up. "And they're even better when you never get to know them at all. Everyone I know are either dead or I just end up knowing them too well."

He moved back and pressed his ear against the tree as he looked at her "I don't think there's anything wrong in getting to know someone."

She looked up at him and smirked. "Says the guy who chased a girl for years and left her the moment they started dating."

He started to speak faster "I didn't leave Jackie. I mean we're still dating. I just had to get those scissors and then-"

"Then what? Think she'll put her life on hold for you? Maybe once, but how do you think she'll react when you come back after years. You don't even remember her name"

"Of course I know her name."

she sighed and her voice shot back harsher, "Her last name."

He wanted to shout it, but he couldn't "Oh."

Hekapoo snorted "You did remember that you humans tend to have those, right?"

"Of course I did." Marco's cheeks flushed and he turned away.

"You totally didn't." Her torso sprung up as she leaned towards him, pointing the side of his face.

"It's just-" he tried shaking her off but she continued her assault "you know. You don't."

"Yes but I'm not exactly human."

"No" he swung his body towards her direction. "it's more like I don't think I remember much about anyone besides you."

"Maybe I do have a last name." She spoke slowly.

"But you just said you didn't."

"I know I did." She stressed put her words even further "but pretend I don't."

"Okay but that's a bit hard to do when you literally just told me th- ouch" he leaned forward and covered the back of his head with both hands.

Hekapoo's hand bounced off of Marco's skull "Humor me. You don't know my last name. You don't know me. Don't judge other people base on me."

"It's not like it's an insult."

"But being compared to the unknown isn't exactly compliment of the year either." Hekapoo crossed her arms.

"It's not like I don't know anything about you; Been chasing you for a year. I know a few things."

An eyebrow rose as she spoke "really now, what's my favorite color?"

To him it was an odd question but he took a swing at it "Yellow?"

"Wrong." She made a buzzing noise similar to what someone would hear on a game show.

"No way. You wear that dress all the time." He referred to her usual clothing.

She shot back "Says the guy who refuses to take off his red hoodie but claims plum is his favorite."

"Touche."

"Thing is looking worn by the way." Hekapoo eyed the article of clothing and as Marco traced a hole that was in the middle of it. He had to agree that it had been aging. She looked from the sleeve of the hoodie back up to him, "Humans can't keep your things intact, I swear. My favorite food?"

He hesitated "I wasn't aware that you ate to be honest."

She snorted, "Typical guy. Don't think girls eat. Don't think we poop next?"

"No. It's not it's- look those questions a bit superficial"

"No. They're not. They're basic but you don't care. You shouldn't care."

She looked down at her hand, "After all you're only after these."

She held up the scissors and waved them at the Diaz boy, "Just chase after the girl without trying to dissect her mind. It's what you're use to.'

"Hekapoo, that was- I did do that." He admitted "but I- I hope I've changed since then."

"People don't change. They just become more themselves."

His hand moved just an inch closer to her and the rest of his body followed it,

"I want to know about you."

"I see history repeating itself. You'll learn about me and then disappear." She smiled but she didn't look him in the eye "you already did that once to a girl."

"You said it'll take a life time and I'm not going anywhere without those scissors."

The keeper of the scissors nodded, "One of your life times. Not mine."

"Then are you planning on just giving them to me." He pointed to the scissors in her hand.

"No way" she looked him in the eye and grinned and he smiled back. "Happy Birthday Marco. Have fun being-" she paused "How old were you when I nabbed you?"

He gave himself a moment to remember, "14. I was 14. 15 now probably."

Hekpoo nodded and she made a sound that was laughter mixed with coughing. "Well, happy 20th Marco."

"20?"

"There a reason I knew your birthday sense was full of it."

"But I don't feel it. I mean I don't look it. Do I?"

"That because you can't grow a beard worth a damn. Three words: use magic."

"That's two words"

"Whatever." She waved her hand at him before point to above her head. "Now since it's 'your birthday' do me a favor and blow out the candle."

Diaz had at her, her face to her pointer to the flame floating above her hair, "But I said I wouldn't"

"Yes ya, you kept your word. How noble but I'm saying blow this sucker away." She pointed both pointers this time. "And just so you know I don't make more clones."

He shuttered, "Really?"

"What fun would this be if I kept moving the goal?" she reaffirmed, "I play fair, remember?"

Marco stared at the flame in front of him. He moved his head close until he felt the heat from it hit his cheeks and landed a small peck onto Hekapoo's forehead.

His chin could feel it. Her face burned hotter then the flame did.

She gasped and flung her arms at him and he felt his arm sting with each strike but he just laughed and landed another kiss. "I'll see you again soon H-poo."

And as he blew out the flame her last words were "Don't call me that."


End file.
